Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Trees

On our way back from northern Arizona, we became curious about the
different plants found at different altitudes in the mountains. Posted along the road, this altitude
difference soon drew our attention to a particular kind of tree that speckled
the landscape around about the 6,000-foot mark.
At a rest stop, we were able to examine one closely and speculated that
it might be some sort of stunted Juniper, its smell and berries being very
reminiscent thereof. They all seemed to
grow to about the same 6-8 foot height.

Never one to ignore a challenge, Reg used my email account
to query the National Park Service about it, specifically since we saw great
numbers alongside the road in the PoconinoNational Forest. To our surprise and delight, Lynn Bleeker, an
Information Assistant at the Flagstaff Ranger District took the trouble to
reply to us and confirm that they were indeed Junipers! How nice!
Now we know. She also included a
link: http://www.arizonatourism.com/blog/largest-stand-ponderosa-pines
which confirms that Ponderosa Pines are the big hit in the area.